Spooky ‘Minecraft’ Skins Land on XBLA

Hot on the heels of the big update for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, a brand new skin pack has been placed on the Xbox Live Marketplace for digital consumption. The appropriately titled ‘Halloween Skin Pack’ features 55 skins that have been created with the help of several well-known developers, and (as many have probably guessed based on the package’s name) it features characters that fit in ever so nicely with the impending Holiday.

Expanding the Minecraft protagonist’s wardrobe is often a frivolous expense in the eyes of many fans, but gamers will be doing a lot more than simply lining to pockets of the wealthy when they purchase this add-on. By investing in the Halloween Skin Pack for 160 Microsoft Points ($2), fans will actually be donating to four different charities that have been chosen by Microsoft, Mojang, and 4J Studios. The charities in question, for anyone curious as to what organizations will be on the receiving end of the funding, are Block by Block, SANDS Lothians, Child’s Play, and Macmillan Cancer Support.

If 100% of the skin pack’s proceeds going towards charity wasn’t enough, then the limited window in which it’s available may be a good incentive for diehard fans. The Halloween Skin Pack will only be available from October 26 to November 26, so anyone who wants to ensure they receive all of the DLC for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition may want to invest in this limited time offer while it’s still around.

The Xbox 360 version of Minecraft has been enjoying a resurgence in activity after update 1.8.2, so much so that the game recently topped Xbox Live charts for the week starting on the 15th of October — dethroning the likes of Modern Warfare 3 and FIFA 13. It’s not much of a leap then to assume that the recently released Skin Pack 3, which features characters from both Half-Life and Awesomenauts, has been profiting from the game’s renewed popularity.

Releasing this Halloween-themed content is a generous move on behalf of all three of the previously mentioned parties involved, and it does help eliminate the guilt some consumers may experience for purchasing what is traditionally an unnecessary add-on. Still, two bucks for 55 skins is a good deal, and plenty of fans will likely be chomping at the bit to get their hands on them.